The Bedford Swim Squad were back in action in January and into February at the annual ASA County Championships, winning a whopping 120 medals, including 49 golds, across multiple ages and grades in another successful competition.
Having changed their name from Modernian Swimming Club to the Bedford Swim Squad last year, the success of the team has only increased as they dominated the meeting at the Luton Sports Village.
Charlie Duce, pictured below, was one of many swimmers to win in both junior and senior competition.
Duce won the Under-16 Female Junior Championship titles in the 1500m, 800m and 400m freestyle, as well as the 100m and 200m backstroke, plus a silver medal in the 200m freestyle.
She was also in Senior Championship action and secured senior silver in the 100m backstroke as well as four bronze medals as she took home an mountain of medals from Luton.
Tia Sammut won the top swimmer award in the female 13s category alongside Megan Barnicoat and Eva-Mae Bowie in a Bedford Swim Squad 1-2-3 in that category, while Kuba Kopec won silver in the male 11s.
Abigail Davis (below) won the 14s category with Charlotte Belcher taking silver.
On top of these awards, Barnicoat also took silver in the 800m and 1500m freestyle in the Junior Championship.
Usual suspects cash in
Rarely does a meeting go by when Eloise Cole and Ryan Close are without at least one medal on the journey home and once again, they both took home a number of medals.
Cole, who enjoyed a wonderful 2023 that included winning gold at the World School Games in Rio de Janeiro, won seven senior championship titles, including the 50m and 100m freestyle golds and 50m and 100m butterfly golds.
She saved her best for the backstroke however, picking up three more golds in the 50m, 100m and 200m, beating her own junior and senior county records in the 50m and 100m.
Close won the Male Senior Championship in the 200m backstroke, plus two further silvers in the 50m and 100m on top of a bronze in the 50m butterfly and also beat his own junior county record in the 100m butterfly.
Adam O’Neal also won medals in the senior competitions, picking up bronze in the 800m and 1500m freestyle.
Busy year ahead
The squad are off to Cyprus in a fortnight’s time for warm weather training, ahead of another action-packed season.
The Regional and National Championships are on the horizon, with Eloise Cole qualifying for the British Championships which also double as an Olympic Games qualifier in what could turn out to be a pivotal season for the teenager.
